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A Problem-Solver

Paul Friedman, a shy, kind man with a surging mind, was always a problem-solver. Of the five Friedman siblings, he was the listener, the untangler of life's knots. He would pose a zillion questions, leading his siblings toward their own solutions. Professionally, he played a similar role. With degrees in psychology, engineering and business, he became a management consultant for Emergence Consulting in Lincoln, Mass.

You could not not like him, the man who at snoozy business meetings kept his end of the table in convulsive snickers. The friend who shlepped rugelach cross-country for a pal, the human jungle gym for nieces and nephews, the husband who showered his wife, Audrey Ades, with gifts. He collected snow globes (only the tackiest!), saved his report cards (including those from Hebrew school), and gazed at the natural world, entranced, camera in hand.

At 45, he tackled his most delightful problem. In May, he and Audrey adopted a Korean infant, Richard Harry Hyun-Soo Friedman (nom de nursery: Rocky).

Mr. Friedman delivered rib-tickling disquisitions on the challenge of the dirty diaper. He spent Sept. 10 with Rocky. "Did you take him to a playground?" a sister asked. "No," replied the cerebral new papa. "I took him to Starbucks."

The next morning, Mr. Friedman boarded American Airlines Flight 11.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 2, 2001.

Paul Friedman

business consultant

By Globe Staff, 9/18/2001

Paul J. Friedman of Belmont, a senior management consultant for Emergence Consulting of Lincoln, died aboard American Airlines Flight 11 in New York City on Sept. 11. He was 45. Mr. Friedman was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduated from John Dewey High School in 1974. He majored in psychology at Johns Hopkins University and earned an MBA from New York University. He began his career at Bell Labs in Whippany, N.J. He had also worked for American Management Systems at the firm's offices in New York and Boston, and for Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young, and Fleet Bank. Mr. Friedman was an avid photographer and a collector of antiques and curios. He leaves his wife of eight years, Audrey Ades; a son, ''Rocky'' Richard Harry Hyun Friedman; his mother, Selma of Morristown, N.J.; three sisters, Iris Pollack of Brighton, Amy Radin of Short Hills, N.J., and Meryl of Medford; and a brother, James of Livingston, N.J.. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Editorial Obituary published in THE BOSTON GLOBE on 9/18/2001.

Paul Friedman, 45, proud new father

He was brilliant, with advanced degrees in engineering and business. Creative, with an eye for antique furniture and a passion for photography. In recent months, though, Paul J. Friedman discovered a new joy: fatherhood.

Mr. Friedman, 45, and his wife, Audrey Ades, of Belmont, Mass., adopted a baby son in Korea this spring, and the hard-working management consultant was instantly transformed into a doting father.

"He gave us a dissertation last week on how to change a diaper," said Friedman's sister, Meryl Friedman, laughing at the memory. "He was very proud to be a father. He videotaped their first meeting with the baby in the nursery in Korea."

Mr. Friedman, a senior management consultant at Emergence Consulting of Lincoln, Mass., who once lived in Morris County, was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, bound for a business meeting at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, when the hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center on Tuesday.

"He was the happiest he had ever been in his life," his sister said.

While Mr. Friedman was easily the brightest person who worked at Emergence Consulting, said company co-founder Allen Rupple, he had a dry sense of humor and often did silly things. When he proposed to his wife 10 years ago, months after meeting her at a suburban Boston synagogue, Rupple said he forgot to bring the engagement ring.

"He was always doing funny things like that," Rupple said.

Mr. Friedman grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and after earning two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University and New York University, he spent seven years working at Bell Labs in Whippany.

In addition to his wife, Friedman is survived by his son, "Rocky" Richard Harry Hyun Friedman; his mother, Selma Friedman of Morristown; siblings and siblings-in law, Iris and Alan Pollack of Brighton, Mass.; Amy and Mitchell Radin of Short Hills; James and Krista Friedman of Livingston and Meryl Friedman and David Price of Medford, Mass.; and nieces and nephews.

Memorial donations may be made to the scientific research association, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, 2700 Chestnut St., Chester, Pa. 19013-4867.

Profile by Dore Carroll published in THE STAR-LEDGER.